Learning to Cook and Becoming British: Analysing the Format and Ideological

Content of Cooking Shows

Since the early days of culinary television this type of programming was used to send clear
gender norm messages. While in post-war Australia, these shows were used to re-
domesticate women, female hosted cooking programmes still arguably reinforcing the
dominant ideology of women’s roles in the house. Hosts like Sophie Dahl and Nigella
Lawson represent perfect housewives and girlfriends who know how to have fun, but are still
caring enough to look after the family by cooking delicious meals every day.

As a contrast, Gordon Ramsay probably represents the traditional masculinity. When

Ramsay started his Ultimate Cookery Course (UCC) on Channel 4, he was already well-
known in television for his blunt, coarse and loud style. In most of his previous outings, he is
seen in a professional kitchen wearing a proper chef jacket and with other chefs working
around and for him. However in the UCC he is cooking alone in a kitchen within a home
environment (even his dog is visible sometimes) and in leisure clothing (plain t-shirt with
jeans). This is striking difference compared to his usual, arguably arrogant style; here he is
portrayed as a man who enjoys cooking to impress others, male friends and members of the
opposite sex equally.

This emphasis on the social capital that good culinary knowledge can gain the viewers
continues in other aspects as well. Ramsay’s target audience is arguably the single men, so
the vocabulary he uses is trying to appeal to them with words like adventure, confidence and
danger frequently used. He often compares preparation and cooking procedures to
processes usually associated with masculinity or even sexuality. Examples include when he
compares the rolling of basil to the rolling of a cigar or where he explains the “three finger
technique for slicing pepper”. He also rarely offers vegetarian recipes; maybe to not alienate
the masculine viewers for whom being an avid meat-eater is part of their gender
performance.

As a whole, the show builds on the trust viewers already have towards Ramsay and his
knowledge. However, it is still quickly established in the opening scenes of every episode
that he “learnt from some of the best chefs and in return, taught some of the best” as to
signify his humbleness and teaching skills at the same time. Episodes make use of short cuts
and dramatic music to make them more appealing to young males, and Ramsay closes
every 23 minutes of showtime with the catchphrase: “Go on, get cookin’!”

Arguably the UCC can be read in two very different ways. On one hand, it can be a clever
marketing trick to find and serve for a new target group of men who are not keen on Jamie
Oliver’s cheeky (but questionably too feminine) lad image. On the other hand, Ramsay can
represent the domestication of men as a post-feminist response to the original trend of
sending females back to the kitchen. In this reading, the masculine image is the sugar
coating on a pill that is hard to swallow for males trying to find the place of their gender
identity in this increasingly untraditional and feminine world.

Bibliography:
deSolier, I. (2005) ‘TV Dinners: Culinary Television, Education and Distinction’ in Continuum:
Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 19 (4), 465-481.
Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course (2012), Channel 4, directed by: Paul Ratcliffe

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